Tent stake



R H. WRIGHT Feb. 28, 1939.

TENT STAKE Filed Dec. 1, 1938 Patented Feb. 28, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

The present invention comprises certain improvements in the construction of metal tent stakes.

Heretofore it has been proposed to employ tent stakes made out of somewhat heavy sheet metal bent into approximately right angular form, relatively large at the upper end, and tapering toward the lower end, as a simple, cheap tent stake construction. These tent stakes as proposed and commonly used heretofore have the metal cut out near the upper end, in the front and side portions of the stake body to provide a rope notch.

Of course, in the use of the above mentioned known form of the stake it is customary to pound the stake at the head or upper end, which is approximately three-fourths of an inch above the rope notch, in driving the stake into the ground.

I have found that in the practical use of tent stakes of this known type the structure of the stake body is considerably weakened where the notch is cut out to form a hook and clearance space to receive the tent rope. In fact the pounding of the head in driving the stake into the ground tends to cause the stake to collapse and in time it is rendered worthless and requires replacement.

The purpose of this invention has been to devise a tent stake of the general type above referred to, but which does away with the formation of a cut out notched portion to provide the rope hook or engaging means. I have found that by subjecting the continuous body of metal of the stake to pressure under the action of suitably formed dies, I am enabled to flow the metal of the stake body into the form of a recess that provides a hook notch at the head of the stake for the tent rope engagement therewith.

I have found, furthermore, that by the mode of pressing the recess into the stake head as stated and in such a way as to create a hooklike projection for rope engagement, the metal retained at the base or back wall of the recess and that at the top of the recess when formed in an arch-like manner provides an actual reinforcement and strengthening means for the head that eliminates the customary collapsing under many consecutive poundings incident to the driving of the, stake into the ground from time to time for its useful purposes.

The invention contemplates the provision of an improved stake of the class described wherein all cutting operations in the metal of the stake in respect to the formation of the rope hook and notch are done away with.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tent stake embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan View.

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional 5 view.

Figure 4 is a front elevational view, the middle portion of the stake being broken away to accommodate for the space allowed for the illustration. 10

The tent stake of the invention comprises a piece of sheet metal of suitable length and tapering formation when in flat condition, which is bent or folded on a medial longitudinal line to provide the sides I and the head portion 2, which 15 is virtually a continuation of said sides. When the material from which the stake is made is folded, it provides a body that tapers from the head to the lower extremity.

The rope hook is designated at 3 and the rope 20 notch at 4, and these portions of the stake are formed by pressing the metal at the angle portion of the stake near the head inwardly and upwardly so as to flow the metal after the conformation illustrated clearly in Figures 1 and 3. 25

The method of pressing the angle portion of the stake body inwardly as mentioned forms a transverse arch which is generally designated 5 in Figure 4 and provides the back wall of the notch 4 previously referred to. The hook 3 over- 30 hangs the recess or notch 4 in a self-evident manner and provides an effective engaging means for the tent rope when applied to the stake in a Well known way.

Not only do we have, in the formation of the 35 metal at the notch 4, a transverse arch structure, but the shape of the metal by reason of the overhang hook may be said to provide a longitudinal arch in a certain sense, so that the hook and notch formation actually increases the rigidity 40 of the spaced sides I of the stake in a transverse direction. Additionally, the formation of the hook 3 and notch 4 materially reinforces the head portion 2 of the stake above the notch 4 in a vertical direction so that the many pound- 45 ings that are applied to the head of a stake, and which ordinarily tend to cause an open notch stake to collapse at its upper end, are resisted in such a way, with the embodiment of the present invention, that the life of the article of man- 50 ufacture described is materially prolonged.

It will be understood that when the body of the stake is blanked out in flat condition from a piece of sheet metal, it is possible, by reason of the formation of the hook and notch parts 3 and 55 4, respectively, to subject the flat metal to the action of dies and simultaneously bend the same longitudinally to form the spaced sides I and produce the portions 3 and 4 in the manner described and clearly illustrated in the drawing.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a tent stake comprising a piece of sheet metal folded longitudinally on a medial line to provide spaced sides and having intermediate its ends a portion of the metal at the angle at which the sides meet pressed inwardly and upwardly in the direction of the space between said sides, whereby to provide a rope hook and notch formation.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a tent stake as claimed in claim 1, in which the pressed inward portion of the stake is located near the head, in which the body of the stake tapers from the head toward the lower end, and in which the hook and notch formation is characterized in that the metal of said hook and notch formation provides a transverse arch and a longitudinal arch structure at the notch and hook.

RICHARD H. WRIGHT. 

